Flying the communist skies

Charles R. Smith is a noted investigative journalist. For over 20 years, Smith has covered areas of national security and information warfare. He frequently appears on national television for the Fox network and is a popular guest on radio shows all over America.

In 1998, the Clinton administration offered to sell advanced radar
systems and mobile navigation equipment, along with providing military
training, to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
Chinese Air Force officers were given detailed tours of the Pentagon,
and Dover U.S. Air Force Base, as well as an over-night stay at the U.S.
Pensacola Naval Air Station.

The meetings took place at the Pentagon and inside buildings located
close by in a defense complex known as Crystal City. The meetings were
supported by several defense contractors such as ARINC, Mitre, and
Raytheon.

Official U.S. Air Force documents in English and Chinese show the
Clinton administration offered “Air Traffic Control And Landing Systems
(ATCALS)” such as “GPN-12 & 20 Surveillance Radars,” the “FPN-62 &
GPN-22 Precision Approach Radar” and the “TRN-45 Mobile Microwave
Landing Sys.”

The PLAAF general and his staff were part of a so-called
“Civil-Military Air Traffic Control Delegation.” Yet, according to the
official delegation list, all the Chinese air force and
army officers were given civilian titles of “Mr.”

On July 22, 1998, the PLAAF officers were taken on a morning tour of
Dover AFB, the “military approach control facility which controls both
civil and military traffic.” According to the FAA
documents, “at Dover AFB, delegation will see a military approach
control facility which controls both civil and military traffic.”

In the evening, the Chinese officers and Clinton administration
officials returned to Washington, D.C., from Dover for “Dinner hosted by
Sr. Col. Wang Yingjin, Air Attache, Chinese Embassy.”

Several major defense contractors sponsored the PLAAF 1998 sales
tour. On July 23, 1998, the PLAAF officers were flown from Reagan
National Airport to Atlanta, Ga., on “Delta flight 585″ for a FAA tour.
The PLAAF then flew on to Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida via
Delta Airlines.

According to the Clinton administration documents, on the morning of
July 24, 1998, “Briefings at Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola” were
given to the Chinese generals.

“Pensacola is the air traffic training facility for the U.S. Navy,”
states the document. “The Delegation will see air traffic training by
military trainees based on FAA Order 7110.65 (Air Traffic Training
Manual) and military air traffic control operations. The air station has
an air traffic control tower
and radar facilities.”

During the 1998 tour, the PLAAF generals were given official meetings
and dinners hosted by the CEO of ARINC Corp. Also included were dinners
and special meetings with Mitre CEO
Victor DeMarines, and Raytheon CEO Robert Beard.

In 1998, the USAF staged a series of air to air exercises in Alaska
called “Cope Thunder.” The USAF air war games included an entire class
of officers from the PLAAF Air War college and several other high level
PLAAF observers.

The air-war games included PLAAF officers operating and observing
USAF attack/defense exercises with radar planes, air tankers,
transports, F-16 Falcons and F-15 Eagles. The PLAAF
was invited to return to Cope Thunder 1999 until all
military-to-military contacts were broken due to the accidental USAF
attack on the Chinese embassy in Serbia.

Officially, according to the Clinton administration, all
military-to-military contacts have been broken with the Chinese army.
This, however, is not altogether true. PLA officers are currently
operating joint U.S./China signals intelligence bases inside China.

According to a 1995 “Chinagate” document forced from the Clinton
administration by federal court, CIA and Chinese army intelligence
agents jointly share two military radio signal intercept stations in
China. The two sites are located deep inside the far-western province of
Xinjiang at Qitai and Korla.

The two stations were built and equipped with state-of-the-art
American electronics by the CIA’s Office of SIGINT Operations (OSO).
Chinese army personnel, who share the sites with U.S.
NSA and CIA agents, are trained by the CIA inside the U.S. at a location
just outside San Francisco. The PLA SIGINT agents are identified as
coming from the Second Department of the Chinese army General Staff
Division (GSD).

Nor is the military joint venture on air traffic control dead.
According to the FAA documentation, “future exchanges and cooperative
activities” are scheduled “through the year 2000.” The documents include
a copy of the “Record of Discussion” signed by John R. Hancock of the
FAA and Qu Yong Xiu of the Chinese Office of State Air Traffic
Commission.

“During the last six months of 1999, a United States delegation will
be invited to participate in a technical seminar in China to exchange
information and views on the development and operation of air traffic
systems, including flight processing, radar control and communications
systems.”

The spin from inside the Clinton White House is that this is all some
sort of right-wing fantasy. German Luftwaffe pilots buzzing rattlesnakes
in the blue skies over Arizona are media hype and dull-witted spin.
Official USAF documents do not show Adolf Hitler nor extra-terrestrials
at Area 51 but they do show Chinese air force officers touring Edwards
Air Force Base in 1999.

The Clinton sponsored military-to-military contacts continue with the
Chinese army. Combat readiness, mobile radar systems and PLAAF training
are not civil, nor commercial, applications. The
fact is the Chinese army air force has graced the skies of America as
part of Clinton’s fantasy alliance with the Beijing communists.